SOUZA OUTDOORS: Sunfish are a great starter fish for beginning anglers

The bobber sat in the water quietly for only a couple of seconds. The there was a tiny twitch that sent out small rings of waves. Then it happened a second time. There was no subtle third time as the bobber was pulled below the surface.

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By Dave SouzaStaff Photographer

The Herald News, Fall River, MA

By Dave SouzaStaff Photographer

Posted Jun. 28, 2014 at 10:42 PM
Updated Jun 29, 2014 at 12:31 AM

By Dave SouzaStaff Photographer

Posted Jun. 28, 2014 at 10:42 PM
Updated Jun 29, 2014 at 12:31 AM

» Social News

The bobber sat in the water quietly for only a couple of seconds. The there was a tiny twitch that sent out small rings of waves. Then it happened a second time. There was no subtle third time as the bobber was pulled below the surface.

“Start reeling,” I told my 4-year-old grand-daughter Lila. She responded with an awkward but fast reeling of her tiny spincasting rig. The rod tip bent as the line danced back and forth in the water. The grin on her face was wide as she finally got the sunfish to the shore. To say the least, she was very proud of that fish. It was the largest bluegill caught that day. Catching the biggest fish that day was also a big deal for bragging rights because her two older cousins were also fishing. Amanda, my 12-year-old ballerina that has danced for several seasons with Festival Ballet’s production of the Nutcracker, and Scott, my 11-year-old football player, were enjoying catching bluegills with their grandfather.

We had a nice morning of fishing with a total of 20 fish caught and released. No one, however, wanted to go home. They all had things to do that afternoon so the only way I could get them away from the pond was to tell them were we out of worms. Members of the sunfish family are the ultimate training fish for kids. They hit a baited hook like they’ve never seen a decent meal. They fight with plenty of furry for something that only weighs a few ounces. Best of all, they are easy to find in ponds and lakes all over the country. You can’t really say they hook themselves but it’s close. Although they are in the same family as large- and smallmouth bass they look nothing like each other. Sunfish from the side have an oval appearance but looking straight at they are very flat. This gives them the ability to swim in deep cover like reeds and heavy vegetation to forage for food and also hide from the big bass that look at sunfish as a great meal.

Taking a kid fishing for sunfish is a simple thing. A spincasting rig is the center of the gear you need. A spincasting reel like the famous Zebco 33 has started plenty of young anglers into the sport. They are easy to use and need a minimum of maintenance. They are basically a spinning reel with a cover. The cover prevents the line from unwrapping off the spool in the hands of an inexperience angler. To cast, the back of the reel has a button. The button is pressed down just as the cast begins. Once the rod is pointing forward during the cast. the button is released. That in turn unlocks the line and it sails out. A matching lightweight rod completes that rig.

Page 2 of 3 - For kids. I like using a bobber as the weight to cast and also as a strike indicator on the water. It takes a little experience to know what you are feeling when a fish takes the bait on the bottom of a pond. With a bobber you don’t need any experience at all. If the bobber goes under the surface, you have a fish on and the fight begins.

One of the problem of catching sunfish is they tend to swallow the hook deep. Kids get upset if they think the fish is going to die because of the hook. Many times you see a bit of blood in the mouth or near the gills. One of the things I point out is if you cut your finger and it bleeds, you don’t die. I tell them it’s just because of the hook sticking them. Using a pair of hemostats. deeply set hooks can be removed. Once they release the fish and it swims away they understand it’s no big deal.

To help making the release easier, I use circle hooks. These hooks have been used for years in big game fishing. Most hooks are usually J shaped. Circle hooks are more C shaped. If a fish swallows the entire bait and you set the hook too fast the bait comes flying out of the mouth. The reason is the shape of the hook. The very tip of the hook curves in and that prevents it from setting as it comes straight out of a fishes mouth. With a circle hook, you just pull lightly and as the hook comes out and makes a turn away from the mouth it sets in the corner of the jaw because of that curved in tip. This makes unhooking and releasing the fish easy. It also prevents gut-hooking a fish which happens all the time with J shaped hooks.

Another thing about taking kids fishing is they usually don’t have a lot a patience to cast the bobber and let it sit for a long time waiting for a fish to come for it’s meal. I don’t have that kind of patience either. What I tell them is to cast the bobber and baited hook out into the pond and wait for all the ripples to go away. That’s usually only 30 or 40 seconds. After the ripples disappear I tell them to very, very slowly reel the bobber back. This does three things. It gives the kids something to do, it makes sure that the bait at some point may drift into a fish’s view and it also gets them into the mindset for using artificial lures when they are ready.

Many times with sunfish, as the bobber and bait get near the shore there is a hit. If they had just left the rig out in the pond then reeled in fast for another cast, they wouldn’t have caught anything. They are also a fun fish for adults. I’ve had seasons when the bass are just not biting and I’ll grab my 4- or 6-weight fly rod, and using a streamer or a tiny surface popper, have a ball catching fish after fish. By downsizing the gear, a sunfish gives a great fight.

Page 3 of 3 - Sunfish are the perfect starter fish for kids. They are also plenty of fun for adults.